Feng Shui Chapter 132: The Rescue of Tang Ru

As a spirit botanist, Tang Ru knew several spells that could bind others. While they couldn’t hold Zhao Jiao and that barbarian for long, they were enough to slow them down and buy her some time to escape.

So it went, chasing and fleeing all along the way, Tang Ru’s true energy quickly drained. She no longer cared about damaging her foundation; she squeezed every last drop of energy from her dantian. During this desperate flight, her braid had come undone, her clothes were torn, and her shoes had fallen off. She looked utterly disheveled.

Zhao Jiao, growing more irritated and furious behind her, thought she was on her last legs. He was only a hair away from catching this slippery little rat. He had already planned how he would punish her, torture wasn’t enough. He wanted to extract her spirit and turn it into a puppet, so she could neither live nor die in peace.

Lost in thoughts of revenge, Zhao Jiao didn’t realize they had left the territory of one fierce beast and entered another. It was the barbarian cultivator beside him who warned, “Master Zhao, I fear this is a trap.”

Zhao Jiao snapped back irritably, “What kind of trap? Both of us have cultivation far beyond hers. A mere Foundation Establishment cultivator can’t scare us off today. If word gets out, how would we face anyone?”

At that moment, something fell from Tang Ru as she ran ahead, a storage pouch. Zhao Jiao glanced down and sneered. “See? She’s already so desperate she can’t even use her binding spells anymore. Now she’s throwing out a storage pouch to lure us in.”

Of course, Zhao Jiao wasn’t foolish enough to fall for such an obvious ploy. The barbarian next to him said nothing further.

That barbarian cultivator was Li Xianshi. He and Zhao Jiao were only temporarily allied as mercenaries. Li Xianshi had been blacklisted by the Zhishi Hall and couldn’t leave the Gengsheng Minor Heaven Realm. If Zhao Jiao hadn’t promised him a way out, he wouldn’t have teamed up with them. He had already warned Zhao Jiao about the danger, but Zhao Jiao had ignored him. Li Xianshi refused to force the issue.

Tang Ru’s feigned desperation wasn’t meant to fool these two but to erase her traces as a cultivator. It was true that the cat beast cared deeply for its cubs, but it could still tell. Her torn clothes, disheveled hair, and even the storage pouch were all signs that gave her away.

Tang Ru hated Zhao Jiao bitterly. She was ruthless not only to her enemies but to herself as well. If the cat beast saw through her disguise and realized she wasn’t truly a human child, her life would be forfeit.

Suddenly, a beast’s roar shattered the silence, making all three of them tense. Zhao Jiao and the barbarian were wary, but Tang Ru was overjoyed. She immediately started yelling, using her voice to lure the cat beast.

Zhao Jiao finally realized Tang Ru had tricked him and laughed in fury, “Ha! So she plans to lead this trouble eastward? Let’s see if that beast falls for it!”

As it turned out, the cat beast did take the bait. Tang Ru looked bedraggled, with no trace of energy fluctuations, nothing to suggest she was a cultivator. To the beast, she was just a vulnerable child in danger, which awakened its protective instincts. The cat beast leapt over Tang Ru and charged at Zhao Jiao and the barbarian behind.

Zhao Jiao was incredulous. Cursing them as fools, he fought the beast. The cat beast’s strength was in its attacks and speed, while Zhao Jiao could barely show his own prowess. From their very first clash, he fell to the defensive.

After some time, Zhao Jiao grew desperate and noticed Li Xianshi hadn’t moved to help. “Li Muye! Why aren’t you stepping in? What are you waiting for?”

Li Muye watched coldly. He never fought beasts without preparation. He and Zhao Jiao had agreed only to help calm the beast, not to obey orders or join a fight. Besides, he had already warned Zhao Jiao about the trap. Since Zhao Jiao stubbornly ignored the warning, Li Muye wasn’t about to risk himself now.

Turning his gaze away, Li Muye looked toward Tang Ru. Seemingly reassured, Tang Ru collapsed from exhaustion, soon covered by a layer of snow. But given the cat beast’s nature, she wasn’t in any real danger. This time, Li Muye admitted defeat.

He prided himself on being a beast tamer, but this was the first time he had lost a step in his confident realm. It didn’t anger him, on the contrary, he found it intriguing. Tang Ru’s shared barbarian heritage had helped her, or else Li Muye wouldn’t have let things end so easily.

Zhao Jiao was clawed, blood streaming from wounds that only made the cat beast more ferocious. Li Muye glanced at him one last time, then quietly left.

Zhao Jiao, unable to overcome the beast, fled after a short fight, only to run right into Shen Yongqing, who caught him red-handed.

The children were taken back to Jin City by their leader and his men, carried and dragged along. Chen Xiao and Xi Yunqing rushed to meet Shen Yongqing. After interrogating Zhao Jiao, they confirmed Tang Ru had indeed led him into the cat beast’s territory, though her current status was unknown.

Tong Nuonuo’s expression grew serious. “This is bad.”

Chen Xiao frowned. “Why is it bad? Cat beasts take great care of their cubs. Tang Ru’s got adult intelligence; she won’t suffer.”

Tong Nuonuo said, “You only know half the story. Cat beasts are very protective of their young, actually the most protective of all fierce beasts. While others force their cubs to become independent once they reach juvenile stage, cat beasts don’t. They keep their cubs with them until they’re fully grown adults.”

Chen Xiao blinked, hesitating. “You mean… if Tang Ru doesn’t grow up there, she won’t be released from the nest? She might never get away?”

Tong Nuonuo nodded, frowning deeply. “Yes. This tactic buys time for now, but it will cause trouble later. To avoid the cat beast realizing she’s a cultivator, she can’t meditate or circulate energy. Plus, she’s injured and without true energy in this cold weather, she could freeze to death.”

Someone had found Tang Ru’s storage pouch, so they knew she had no rations left, only the clothes she wore. Now, she could only rely completely on the cat beast.

While her companions worried about Tang Ru, she woke up inside the cat beast’s den. The cave was dry and well-ventilated, with nothing but the smell of hay and earth, no unpleasant odors. Cat beasts were surprisingly clean for fierce creatures; they took care of their eating and waste outside the den. They also groomed themselves regularly, and Tang Ru’s fur coat, slightly longer for winter, was sleek and shiny, providing excellent warmth.

Don’t ask how Tang Ru knew all this, she was currently lying nestled in the soft fur on the cat beast’s belly, feeling warm all over.

When Tang Ru moved her limbs slightly, the cat beast instantly woke, its beastly eyes looking fierce in the dim light. But Tang Ru stayed completely relaxed, knowing now was not the time to be alert or defensive.

“Woo~~~” The cat beast let out a low growl, nudging her gently and curling its claws around Tang Ru, pulling her closer. It was clear it liked this two-legged cub. Tang Ru appreciated the cat beast’s gentle blue eyes, but she had no intention of being its ward; her only thought was to escape as soon as possible.

Outside, the snow had stopped, and the sun hung high in the sky. Judging by the daylight, it was the next day, or possibly later. Concerned about her other companions, Tang Ru tried to leave. She grabbed the cat beast’s large paw and struggled to push it away, crawling toward the exit. The cat beast watched her closely, treating her like a mischievous child. Every time Tang Ru got a bit away, the cat beast stretched out its neck, bit the collar of her clothing, and gently dragged her back.

Tang Ru hesitated but pushed away the paw again and tried to crawl out. The cat beast, treating it like a game, patiently brought her back over and over. Finally, exhausted and gasping for breath, Tang Ru was pulled back into the warm fur on its belly. The beast let out a low rumble from its throat.

Surrounded by the warm fur, Tang Ru couldn’t help but close her eyes. She decided to rest for a moment, gather strength now, so she could fight again later.

While Tang Ru struggled inside the den, Chen Xiao and the others outside were also planning. Shen Yongqing had already accomplished the mission’s main goal, and now they needed to take care of Shen Yanxing’s friend. Since Tang Ru was trapped in the cat beast’s lair, he had the leader take some men to hold back the dark cultivators while he stayed behind with a few Golden Core stage cultivators to come up with a plan.

Shen Yongqing, an experienced cultivator, suggested, “Why don’t we create a diversion? Some of us can lure the cat beast away, while the rest break into the den to rescue Daoist Tang.”

Xi Yunqing shook his head. “That won’t work. A mother cat beast with cubs doesn’t stray far from the nest. Its pursuit radius and time are much smaller than usual. Plus, during this period, the cat beast is extremely alert and will check on its cub immediately after returning.”

Chen Xiao admired the cat beast’s dedication. It was truly a model parent, even compared to humans. After a moment of thought, he frowned and asked, “What do cat beasts eat?”

Xi Yunqing answered, “Like most fierce beasts, cat beasts are carnivores.”

Chen Xiao hesitated. “So, Arou is probably eating raw meat, right?”

Tong Nuonuo smiled. “No worries there. Arou is easy to feed and can eat fresh meat. Their tribe has a special custom of eating the freshest game during celebrations. Dwarves usually name themselves, and only register formal names when they go out on their journeys. Since she named herself Arou, it’s clear the cat beast has no problem feeding her.”

Tang Ru had once said her formal registered name was misheard by the Zhishi Hall clerk; it should have been Tang Rou instead. When Tong Nuonuo heard that, she inwardly congratulated the clerk, Tang Rou sounded far too crude for such a delicate little girl.

Because they feared alerting the cat beast, Shen Yongqing’s diversion plan was rejected. Instead, they decided to wait for the cat beast to leave for a hunt, then sneak quickly into the den to rescue Tang Ru.

But just as they finally spotted the right moment and stealthily approached the den while the cat beast was away, they were seen by another pair of eyes.

Those eyes belonged to creatures long threatened by the cat beast, a favored prey on its menu. Normally, someone sneaking into the cat beast’s den wouldn’t provoke trouble, but Chen Xiao and his group had seriously angered these creatures before, and their sudden appearance set off a piercing alarm.

“Squeak, squeak squeak, ” accompanied by the sound of falling snow, a group of black-tailed monkey bats appeared.

Months ago, when Chen Xiao’s group picked the White Spirit fruit, they had killed the demon monkey bat king. Since then, the tribe had chosen a new king, who was eager to avenge their fallen leader and establish his own authority.

These black-tailed monkey bats near the den served as both a food reserve and natural sentinels. When they screamed, the cat beast would rush back immediately.

Chen Xiao and the others’ rescue attempt failed completely. Fighting off the monkey bats, they retreated while trying hard not to alert the cat beast. To keep the cat beast unaware, they pretended the monkeys were their real target, struggling just enough to escape, exhausting and frustrating.